Roxy Roca blows up Lowe Mill dock with 'Dynamite Texas Soul'

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The Friday night air boomed with the sound of ‘Dynamite Texas Soul’ as Roxy Roca blew up the dock with their soulful sound during Lowe Mill’s concert series.

Roxy Roca, an Austin-based band dressing in black suits and ties, played their powerful, soulful sound inspired by the great soul and funk pioneers of the 60s. It was a hit with the Friday-night concert crowd with many folks unable to stay sitting in their folding chairs as the band played.

Concert-goers got a chance to hear a mix of music from the band, some of which will be on their new record. Roxy Roca is currently wrapping up production on their new record, recorded at EAR Studio in Austin with producer Lars Goransson at the helm.

In a statement on the Roxy Roca web site, Taye Cannon talks about the history of the band, “I grew up in the deep south immersed in my dad’s music — Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, James Brown. Basically, if it had a groove, my dad had it. When Motown 25 hit the TV it was all over — I knew this was what I wanted to do. I remember staying up all night with my cousins, emulating James Brown and Michael Jackson in our grandfather’s carport.”

Roxy Roca raises the roof on the historic dock during the Lowe Mill ARTS and Entertainment's Concert on the Dock series Friday night. (Eric Schultz / eschultz@al.com)

Things didn’t work out the way he expected, at least not right away. Teenage years, rebellion, and punk rock created a detour for the fledgling belter. “I couldn’t really sing yet, but I made up for it with volume and conviction.” Cannon took what he learned about showmanship from James Brown and combined it with his raw aggression and parlayed it into a successful run fronting Austin darkwave pioneers Mocktigers. The thrill of performing was just what he imagined it would be, but something was missing.

“I started telling people I wanted to be a soul singer and I got a lot of sideway looks, like, ‘Really? Where is this coming from?’ They all knew me as the crazy frontman from Mocktigers that screams himself hoarse night after night. They didn’t know this other side of me. So, things kind of stalled for a while.”

Then, according to Taye, a chance meeting changed everything. “I said, ‘Hey, do you want to start a soul band with me?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’” Cannon is talking about veteran Austin guitar slinger Errol Siegel. “I thought, ‘Man, that was easy, who’s next? Well, Errol and I both knew Roger (Wuthrich) from previous bands and it turned out he was into it too — he just said, ‘Anything you want to do, I’m in.’ I knew these guys were great players, so I had no doubt they could do it. For whatever reason, they saw something that made them think I could too. So, we were on our way.”

The concert, a part of Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment's Concert on the Dock series, was Roxy Roca’s debut in the Rocket City, form here they go on to Tupelo and then back to Austin for a few shows in their hometown.